Once seen as the future, Boeing struggles to make a case for Starliner

[Micael]

Starliner has been given a go to hold at 260 meters from the space station. During the approach two reaction control system jets have failed off. A manual flight test has been put on hold while flight controllers look to restore those jets with a hot fire.

[MikeKozlowski]

Do you think they'll get stuck at the ISS and have to be rescued by a Dragon mission?

...My concern would be that they'd have to GET to the ISS with a couple of dodgy thrusters. Would NASA take the risk of trying to dock with the ISS if they don't have 100% control over StarLiner?

If they can't fix this - and the only option is a blockbuster-movie-level rescue - Boeing is going to crater and crater hard.

Mike

[Micael]

Starliner is now fewer than 80 meters away from the ISS and has slowed to an approach rate of about 10 cm per second. NASA commentators say at different points, they had 5 reaction control system (RCS) thrusters go offline. Through several hotfire tests, they were able to bring back 4 of them and get the approval to enter the keep out sphere and head towards docking at the ISS.

[Kunkmiester]

Does starliner do robot arm capture or is it supposed to thrust all the way through docking?

[kdahm]

Does starliner do robot arm capture or is it supposed to thrust all the way through docking?

Thrust it's way into docking, the same way as the Dragon capsules.

They had five thrusters down, got four of them back with hot fire tests, then docked using the automatic system. It still doesn't look good for Boeing.

OTOH, all they have to do now is separate, deorbit burn, and actually land.

[David Newton]

We're I one of the crew members I'd want to stay at the ISS until a Dragon come and rescue me.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Adding new meaning to “if it’s Boeing I ain’t going!”

[Rocket J Squrriel]

Does starliner do robot arm capture or is it supposed to thrust all the way through docking?

Thrust it's way into docking, the same way as the Dragon capsules.

They had five thrusters down, got four of them back with hot fire tests, then docked using the automatic system. It still doesn't look good for Boeing.

OTOH, all they have to do now is separate, deorbit burn, and actually land.

I believe that the current Dragon2 human/cargo variants use a standard docking port now. Difference is the standard is round and the craft doesn't need help to dock. The other is square and needs the arm to 'berth it'.

[kdahm]

Does starliner do robot arm capture or is it supposed to thrust all the way through docking?

Thrust it's way into docking, the same way as the Dragon capsules.

They had five thrusters down, got four of them back with hot fire tests, then docked using the automatic system. It still doesn't look good for Boeing.

OTOH, all they have to do now is separate, deorbit burn, and actually land.

I believe that the current Dragon2 human/cargo variants use a standard docking port now. Difference is the standard is round and the craft doesn't need help to dock. The other is square and needs the arm to 'berth it'.

All of the capsules going to the ISS have a standard docking port. The US ones use the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internati ... m_Standard#. The Russian ones use the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSVP_docking_system. None currently use an arm, and I believe an arm was only used on a test in 2007.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking_a ... spacecraft

[Kunkmiester]

Looked it up, the first ones used the arm which is where I got it, they're using thrusters now.

[gtg947h]

Looked it up, the first ones used the arm which is where I got it, they're using thrusters now.

The original Dragon 1, the shuttle-carried MPLM, and the Cygnus cargo spacecraft are all grabbed by the arm and "berthed". Advantages are a simpler lighter mechanism (it doesn't have to absorb nearly the dynamic loads), simpler autopilot, and a larger hatch.

Dragon 2 (cargo and crew version) and Starliner dock under power and use the same docking mechanism, which derived from that used on the shuttle.

[Micael]

Some notes from the post-docking news conference on Starliner: Engineers found a fourth helium leak after capture. The thruster issues were similar to those observed on OFT-2, and are still not fully understood.

[Poohbah]

Some notes from the post-docking news conference on Starliner: Engineers found a fourth helium leak after capture. The thruster issues were similar to those observed on OFT-2, and are still not fully understood.

Did Boeing forget to install some bolts?

[Calder]

Some notes from the post-docking news conference on Starliner: Engineers found a fourth helium leak after capture. The thruster issues were similar to those observed on OFT-2, and are still not fully understood.

Did Boeing forget to install fire some bolts dolts?

Fix it for you.

[jemhouston]

Did Boeing forget to install fire some bolts dolts?

Fix it for you.

[jemhouston]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/boeing-starl ... 56113.html

Boeing Starliner's return delayed: Here's when the astronauts might come back to Earth
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
Tue, June 11, 2024 at 8:21 AM CDT·2 min read
60

On the heels of a successful launch last week, the return of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to Earth from the International Space Station has been delayed until at least next week.

On June 5, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore made history taking Boeing's Starliner on its maiden crewed mission.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in eastern Florida at 10:52 a.m. EDT.

Delayed by previous scrubs, Starliner − named Calypso in honor of explorer Jacques Cousteau's ship − landed on the space station on June 6.

More rocket launches: SpaceX Starship successful in fourth test launch
When is Starliner expected to return to earth?

Initially, NASA reported, Starliner was only slated to spend a week on the space station.

Now, the Starliner and its two astronauts are set to land in the New Mexico desert no earlier than Tuesday, June 18, NASA posted on X.

NASA and Boeing reported a parachute-assisted landing is planned.
Why is Starliner's return to earth delayed?

According to the space agency, additional days at the ISS will allow for Williams, 58, and Wilmore, 61, to assist with a spacewalk on Thursday.

In addition, it will allow engineers more time to complete system checkouts of Starliner, working towards its NASA certification.

What was Starliner designed for?

The Starliner was designed to accommodate passengers for missions to low-Earth orbit.

The capsule is intended to carry four astronauts along with a mix of cargo and other scientific instruments to and from the International Space Station for NASA.

It carries more than 750 pounds of cargo including food, clothing, exercise gear, medical supplies, media equipment, and vehicle supplies, NASA reported.

Contributing: Eric Lagatta and Mary Walrath-Holdridge.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boeing Starliner return: Astronauts stay at ISS extended, NASA says

[jemhouston]

https://spacenews.com/fifth-helium-leak ... starliner/


Fifth helium leak detected on Starliner link only

[Micael]

https://spacenews.com/fifth-helium-leak ... starliner/


Fifth helium leak detected on Starliner link only

Maybe I’m a bit too tired after way too many hours at work, but is anyone else finding the choice of measurement to describe the leaks a bit odd? What exactly does ”PSI per minute” tell us in this context?

[jemhouston]

https://spacenews.com/fifth-helium-leak ... starliner/


Fifth helium leak detected on Starliner link only

Maybe I’m a bit too tired after way too many hours at work, but is anyone else finding the choice of measurement to describe the leaks a bit odd? What exactly does ”PSI per minute” tell us in this context?

Beats me. In my experience, if something is unclear in an official release, it's that way for a reason.

[Johnnie Lyle]

My guess is that they’re measuring how much gas they have using pressure, and so they can easily quantify how that is changing over time as psi/minute, giving the flow rate of the leak.

Volume and mass calculations are a lot more difficult given that we’re dealing with gasses, which change volume and density with pressure and temperature. Sure, you could automate your systems to calculate mass of helium using the fixed volume of the tank and the changing pressure, but that wasn’t really possible until you got digital instruments. Prior to that, it was much easier to just measure pressure - which we still routinely do for tanked gasses and tires.

Given that, a volume per time flow rate used for liquids (say with a water leak) doesn’t make as much sense.